Final Fantasy XVI's revelations were bizarre.
When I first saw the revelation show during the live broadcast, I was disappointed. The show wasn't a shock to my senses as was the famous Final Fantasy XV reveal before it. It did not make me inhale nor did it leave me in a state of crazy anticipation. A social media overview told me that I'm not alone in feeling this way. There is a good community that is frustrated with what has been shown, and those who like it are not very enthusiastic about what has been shown. Certainly not the mass hysteria that Final Fantasy revelations usually generate. Of course, there are those who entered into a state of beloved hysteria directly, and there are those who began to question the game's entitlement to the name Final Fantasy directly, this is normal, but it was not collective this time. The atmosphere was different from what you'd expect an hour after Final Fantasy unveiled a new major, and I think everyone felt this.
The question is why? Is there a problem in taking out the show? Is there a problem with the game itself? I don "t think so. In fact, I think this was the smartest possible way to expose Final Fantasy XVI. I think it suggests more promising and confident gameplay than anything Square Enix has brought out in years. I think they knew exactly what to do when they decided to unfold it this way.
Let's talk a little more about why, and Final Fantasy XVI's unique relationship to the series is public.
"The legacy of the crystal has shaped our history enough."
This was the line that the show decided to show us in bold, and I think it was the main theme of what was shown. Of course, the line has anecdotal implications, as it seems that the game deals with the human revolution against the crystal as a main focus in it, but it is also a direct message to us as players about the nature of this part's relationship with the name of Final Fantasy. A clear message from the very first moment, with their choice of the iconic string melody to start the show, except that it is a sad broken version of it, with different notes here and there, and a new use of it from where we used to hear it normally. This is Final Fantasy, yes, but she is not at all interested in restricting herself to the conventions and expectations of the series, and here's the point.
Final Fantasy moves towards dynamic gameplay systems is a long process that started since the game was introduced to ATB in the fourth part, but intensified in the final two parts, Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake, where they can be classified as fully-described action RPG games. In both games we see clear embarrassment in this classification. Both combine their kinematic elements with menus and counters that try to find a compromise. Both offer a "classic" style of play that gives you the illusion of not playing an action game if you like. They both restricted themselves and damaged their systems in one way or another in an attempt to be Final Fantasy. From what it looks like in the show, XVI doesn't care about that. In XVI we see a true dodging system with iframes that is no different than in Souls games. We see enemy air strikes and real air combos. We see an enemy-engaging movement that resembles the Devil Bringer from Devil May Cry games. The truth is, XVI seems like a full-fledged action game, not trying to be a compromise, satisfy everyone, or be what you expect Final Fantasy to be.
What about the age classification? Once again, and famously, XV and VII Remake trimmed entire scenes and tweaked others in an effort to maintain the T-age rating, which has always been the one for the main parts of the series. XVI does not bother. A lot of blood in this show, not cheaply expressing a relish of violence, but in a careful way that gives the viewer the strength they just need because they need it, and it looks like it will be the first major installment to get an M age rating.
What about the graphic level? Since the seventh part, the exceptional technical level has become part of the Final Fantasy identity, and in recent years Square Enix has struggled a lot to fulfill these expectations, between the Crystal Tools engine that killed it for an entire generation, and Luminous, which needed additional years of development until it was saved at the expense of the content of its first game. Square Enix interviewed the choice several times, and each time opted for Final Fantasy's appearance over its content. The first signs of change were when I allowed the VII Remake to release on a licensed third-party engine, but XVI is taking it to a new level. XVI is being developed on an improved version of Crystal Tools, because this is the development environment the team is accustomed to and in which they feel they can deliver the best game possible. XVI might be technically weaker even in aspects of XV and VII Remake, and whoever sees this as a downfall has the right to do so, but I see it as a victory. As a liberation from one of the restrictions that plagued the chain for decades. When it was a choice between appearance and content, for the first time in decades, Final Fantasy chose content.
The show also does not try to deceive you or to portray the game as a product from another world, and in this another clear breach of what has become a Final Fantasy tradition. It was easy to see us crazy CG clips made by Visual Works, or Set Pieces in which the protagonist encounters the ICONS, or a parade of exciting late-point areas and moments in the story. This is how Final Fantasy usually declares itself, an attempt to shock your senses and ignite your enthusiasm with a revelation that does not necessarily reflect the reality of the game. XVI reveals itself with clips that mostly sound from the early hours of the game, a general introduction to the world and game style, and some story puzzles to ignite your curiosity. XVI revealed you say: “This is the game. We think it's good. What is your opinion?" With confidence and simplicity, it immediately reminds you that this is Naoki Yoshida and his team's game, this was their style and this was the relationship they built with the players, resulting in the resounding success of Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions.
When I first saw the show, I was disappointed. The show was not the dreamy moment of enthusiasm that the series' games usually announce, but rather something that you have to get used to, think about and watch more than once to understand the promising level that this game promises. We didn't see the hero fighting Leviathan in the middle of a tsunami, hopping between shattered buildings, but the Dominants were introduced. Humans who can transform into, or summon, ikons, which the hero appears to be on a mission to hunt. We know it is a story that will last for several years, beginning with the protagonist as the bodyguard of an aristocratic prince named Joshua, before a tragedy that includes the Phoenix Phoenix and the Goblin occurs, and causes his fate to change. Details of the disaster are cleverly vague, and when the hero speaks of his desire to kill someone at the end of the show, we don't know if that person fought Joshua, or Joshua himself.
Those who have played Heavensward can directly appeal to its director Hiroshi Takai's style and writer Kazutoyo Maehiro. Their love for swords, knights, and fantasy with powerful roots in reality is prominent, as is the theme of the relationship between humans and icons that they discussed earlier in XIV. Those who have played Dragon's Dogma and Devil May Cry V immediately notice Capcom's signature flavor in the fighting clips, as battle director Ryota Suzuki worked on those games before moving to Square Enix. The general theme is that XVI is a passion project with people who have proven themselves time and time again on the same topics and ideas that have always occupied them, and the confidence that the project pulses is only a consequence of that.
Every Final Fantasy major is - in one way or another - a new beginning for the series and for Square Enix in general, but this has never been healthier than now with XVI. It's easy to forget, but XVI is the first all-new Final Fantasy we've had in 14 years, and the developers seem to be aware of that. XVI is a new beginning more than ever, and if you don't break free from the shackles of your legacy now, when will you?
Do I have problems with orientation? Of course. I would have preferred a less realistic graphic orientation, and I didn't like the hero design, and the idea of Final Fantasy Without Party if I was to worry me. I didn't agree with every artistic decision that was made in the project, but that is part of Final Fantasy's nature as a series, and if it did not discover itself in every part, it would not be Final Fantasy. This is the crystal legacy that defines the series and nothing else. XVI understands this, and it feels like a moment of confidence and boldness not seen in the franchise for decades.